SAN FRANCISCO — There is no bluster from the young man, no posturing. Alex Smith comes across as understanding and humble as any first pick in any NFL draft ever could be, knowing full well what we expect and unlike his rookie season what is to be expected.

Year two for Smith, for the 49ers’ future. The opening exhibition game of’06, against the Chicago Bears tonight at the place now called Monster Park but we’ll forever know as Candlestick.

“It’s important for us to get continuity,” agreed Mike Nolan, the coach also in year two. “To be efficient … on offense, are we getting first downs and moving down the field?”

The great test. In a game that means nothing. And means a great deal.

“We want to get this thing going,” Smith said. “We want to give this offense some confidence.”

That’s what it’s all about for a quarterback. With a quarterback. He must believe in himself. No less significantly others must believe in him.

We were spoiled for 20 years by the Niners. First the great Montana. Then the nearly as great Young. Back-to-back Hall of Famers. That doesn’t happen. But it did happen in San Francisco. And then Young’s replacement Jeff Garcia proved competent, if not outstanding.

“Dynasties don’t come around often,” Alex Smith said in reflection. “You have to get all the things going together. A lot of things have to go right.”

One of those things is the quarterback position, which, with the trades of Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey and Cody Pickett, now belongs to Smith, although now and then it may be in the possession of the veteran Trent Dilfer.

Alex Smith, great athlete, intelligent person, good kid. But can he play quarterback in the NFL? Can he live up to being the first pick in the 2005 draft?

“I’m not going to lie to you,” Smith said. “It’s tough, you’re constantly trying to prove yourself. It’s tough way to play. I think I didn’t play well last year because of that.

“You’re trying to prove yourself to everyone, to the coaches, to the fans, trying to prove that I’m deserving of this (the No.1 selection) — and I know I am — but it’s hard when every throw you’re trying to win everyone over. I think this year I’ve gotten away from that. I’m just going to do the little things to get the offense going.”

He has help, which wasn’t available last year, tight end Vernon Davis, the Niners’ first pick in the’06 draft; Eric Johnson, finally not injured; Antonio Bryant, whose talent may trump his volatility. Perhaps more importantly Smith has a season in the rearview mirror, even if it was a season in which he threw only one touchdown pass and had a quarterback rating of around 40.

“Last year I had no idea of what preseason was like,” Smith remembered. “What we were supposed to be accomplishing. I didn’t know what an NFL game was like, what camp was like. There were so many unknowns in my life it was hard to really focus and concentrate. This year my comfort zone is a little better.”

What he never had known was disappointment. First-round picks have been stars in high school and college. They get to the pros, and suddenly everyone is virtually as skilled as they are.

“I had never played on teams that had the problems or frustrations we went through,” conceded Smith. He is 24 now, has grown a beard. He previously had grown a thick skin.

It would have made a difference in our judgment, Smith concedes, had he been chosen any place but No.1, but football, as life, is what you make of what you get.

“What No.2 does in history is not a big deal,” Smith said, “but if you are the top, the top of your class, huge expectations come with that.”

There’s even an advantage to be a lower pick and sit and learn for a couple of years, then, as Smith pointed out, “start under much different circumstances than to come in as the No.1 and play early.”

But he wouldn’t make any changes, even if he could.

“I’m a competitive person, and I competed for that No.1 pick, and I thought it was best … I never would trade it in. We’ll accomplish something. It’s just a matter of time.”

The time starts now.

Art Spander has earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He can be reached at typoes@aol.com.